Glen here…
So, I’m not quite sure what to say about BABYLON 5: THE RIVER OF SOULS.
I will say that those in my cadre who have seen B5: ROS have reacted in one of two ways: 1) "what the fuck was THAT?", or 2) a simple "it’s brilliant." All I know is, for the first time in my long history with BABYLON 5, I am at a loss for words. None the less, I will *try* to articulate some thoughts here - but it’s just…odd. I really don’t know how else to describe it. It’s just plain funky.
B5: ROS is set a few months after Sheridan and Delenn have moved their little Alliance thingie to Minbar. Did I just let slip a spoiler? Yes I did. That this happens will be referenced in RIVER OF SOULS, which is set *after* all but one of the episodes featured in the much-awaited Final Five. But ROS will be aired *before* all of those episodes have actually been broadcast. That John and Delenn pack out to Minbar is no big surprise to anyone who has been watching the show for any length of time. Strategically, however, the decision to air RIVER OF SOULS before the Final Five have run their course is a bit bizarre, as doing so will successfully telecast two primary elements of the Final Five which will not yet have fully played out in the series’ timeline. Okay…fine…that’s a nitpicky gripe. But one I thought deserved acknowledgment.
RIVER OF SOULS opens as a bedraggled archeological team (headed by Ian McShane) uncovers a mammoth chamber in which Soul Hunters have stored many, many orbs. One of these orbs is especially significant, and is a critical component in the movie as a whole. This orb (which looks like a glowing bowling ball) makes its way to Babylon 5 (mistake # 1 - never take *anything* to Babylon 5 with the expectation that trouble won’t follow) .
McShane starts screwing around with the bowling ball (mistake # 2- if a glowing bowling ball spits out bolts of ectoplasmic electricity, leave it the hell alone).
Soul Hunters show up and want their ball back.
McShane runs off with their ball and hides it (mistake # 3 - when people who can suck your spirit into the palm of their hand show up & want their ball back, you give it to them - no questions asked).
In the midst of all of this, the souls which the Soul Hunters have stuffed into the orb manage an escape, and for a number of reasons (too spoiler intensive to go into here) they are pissed off and ready to rumble (mistake # 4 - when sucking out people’s souls, better make sure there’s no way that can come back to bite you in the ass). Look for very cool B5 perennial Wayne Alexander as one of these spirits, although it’s sort of a "Where’s Waldo?"
More of these manifestations...doing more varied and frightening things with their new-found ability to physically manifest themselves...might have been in order. The brief glimpses we get into these soul's capacities are tantalizing, and might leave viewers wanting more than they ultimately get.
So that’s the set-up. Then comes the rest of it - the weird part. You’ll have to see it to make your own decision. Maybe it’s just me?
There’s a lot of humor in RIVER OF SOULS, including a substantial B-plot involving a holographic brothel which has been illegally established on Babylon 5, and its sleazy owner. This apparently insignificant sub-plot is actually an important component in the story which ultimately unfolds, and is perhaps under-utilized in the main-thrust of the story (i.e. re-allotting some of the "wacky" time at the brothel for use in the main Soul Hunter plot of ROS might have better served the movie’s structure and impact. But far be it from me to tell someone like JMS how to weave a story. These are…simply…my own HUMBLE opinions).
Martin Sheen is, at first, wacked-out beyond belief as the nameless Soul Hunter stooge who gets sent to B5 to fetch McShane’s bowling ball. You can’t help but smile when you first see Sheen do his Soul Hunter shtick. It’s just…just…damn peculiar. Initially, Sheen seems painfully out of place in the Babylonian universe. But as his character is developed more fully, we learn that he is *supposed* to be out of place. We come to understand that he is, in many ways, a novice at doing what Soul Hunters do, and is inexperienced at contact scenarios, etc.
Eventually, Sheen’s character assumes a fair amount of charm and dimension, and actually makes sense in the Babylon universe. An interesting…and fortunate…character arc. If he’d been allowed to flounder throughout the proceedings as much as he did in the outset, this could have really been a stinker all the way around.
Ian McShane is compelling…almost sympathetic…as the nearly insane scientist who is doing all the right things for mostly wrong reasons. We almost start to believe in his obsession, understand what he’s thinking and why he’s thinking it. But in grand Babylonian tradition, issues of right and wrong are seldom clearly defined. McShane is…how to say it…nobly misguided - much like his Soul Hunter counterparts. McShane’s Bryson is a strong, electric character who might be interesting to re-visit someday.
Babylon regulars Jerry Doyle, Jeff Conaway, and Tracy Scoggins are all at the top of their form - with an emphasis on Scoggins’ Lochley, who is becoming considerably more commanding as a station chief. She is deftly creating a character who grows increasingly agreeable as time goes on. And a whopping courtesy and tip-of-the-hat to Ms. Scoggins’ special wardrobe consultant for this movie. There are a few scenes…a few scenes…well…there’s….((coughs…decided to move on)). Richard Biggs makes a hit-and-run appearance as well, but not in a way you’d necessarily anticipate.
Christopher Franke’s score is one of his best yet - big and haunting, and moving at times. I wish TNT would not voice over the galumphing smarmyness of RIVER OF SOULS’ closing title music, so it could be enjoyed in all its Lawrence Welk-does-porno grandeur. But I supposed that would be too much to ask.
Most of RIVER OF SOULS’ razzle-dazzle is piled into the front-end, story and characterization carry the proceedings past the first ten minutes. Lotsa cool FX shots for the pre-title sequence teaser. Good structures and planetscapes - a sense of Crusades to come. Speaking of which, be sure to catch the throw-away line regarding "skimmers" in RIVER OF SOULS. Skimmers (in concept) are sort of like "speeder bikes" in STAR WARS. At one point, there were plans to use these vehicles for occasional surface travel in CRUSADE. To my knowledge, these plans haven’t changed.
RIVER OF SOULS’ greatest strength is that it is utilized as a platform to expand the undercurrents of spirituality which have run so strongly beneath the surface of BABYLON 5. Issues of life-after-death are pointedly addressed. Questions regarding the value of one’s *soul* versus the value of what one leaves behind in the real and physical world are also hinted around. The righteousness of the Soul Hunters’ campaign of soul wrangling and collection is pointedly at issue in ROS. Many of the more esoteric questions which have been raised throughout B5…whether obviously or subtly….are touched on or addressed in this movie. And, despite the generally odd and slightly irreverent demeanor which saturates the movie, the pondering of these notions does ultimately help to broaden the tapestry on which BABYLON 5 is painted.
Packing fewer visual effects, but a bit more depth, cleverness, and "oomph" than THIRDSPACE - BABYLON 5: THE RIVER OF SOULS debuts Sunday November 8 on TNT.
